N78 11 09.8
E16 16 26.7
Distance travelled yesterday: 10.9k
Average speed: 2.9km/ hr
From the dulcet tones of Lee snoring to the very cross and assertive wake up, or rather "get up", call from Simon at 7am for our planned early 9am departure (I’m sure Simon enjoyed it a bit too much!)...
At least it had been a mild night, so getting up wasn’t too painful and with Lee as leader ('leading from the top') it was already a big day. After a brief meeting, a few friendly reminders from Howard, our guru guide, about shovel hygiene (it is vital that the shovel used for the loos - the aptly named "shit shovel" is NEVER used for shovelling snow into our stoves!!) and final dashes to the loo, we were off just after 9.30am – our earliest departure to date.
After a couple of kilometres heading right and west up the valley and some animal spotting (still yet TBC whether it was an Arctic fox, wolf or caribou - dear) Howard called us to a halt for a little hauling exercise. An hour and a half later, all pulks and people had been hauled up to the top of the 80ft valley wall, thanks to with some over-excited crevasse kit use. (Howard then told us about a much simpler and quicker way of getting up the slope!)
A lunch-bothy stop at the top and we were off again to find a spot to belay us down to the valley floor again. After a brief discussion, each person was tied up and sent off over the edge, some were lowered more quickly than others!!
Unfortunately there was a small omission of bringing down Howard’s skis and an ice axe, which meant Howard had to climb solo back up and bring them back down himself - sorry Howard, we promise to make it up to you!
With us quickly cracking on pulk-pulling along the Valley and Phil and Mark back navigating in front, we caught up some ks before finding camp for the night just after 5pm, having had time to add our own impromptu assault course down a slope and various freestyle methods of getting down it with the pulks at our heels, most involved getting acquainted with the snow!
The camp routine is getting slicker and more designer loos were erected - I never knew there were so many different ranges!
It’s been a very mild night and it’s strange to be in sight of the lights of the coalmines and orange hue of Longyearbyen in the distance again. I’ll miss the starry skies, night-time lightshows, frozen snowy white valleys and hills. At last for me it’s time for an early bear watch then bed. It’s hard to believe there is only one more night on our snowy mattress and with our tent partners: what will I do without hot blackcurrant drinks made by Lee every morning?! Oh well, I’ve got 20 hours to decide what my last rehydrated meal of this mini-expedition will be... Oh the dilemnas!
Good night and sleep well all.
P.s. Lee’s leadership tip of today: “The leader is only as good as the people around him.”
This post was written by Ness Lindsay.
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